NAS PART 1 - ANGLESEY - THE THORA

Why is it that for me the words ‘NAS course’ are always followed by ‘early start’ and ‘long journey’?  Not that I minded.  Having completed my Introduction course I was ready and gone even earlier, being excited by the prospect of a day of archaeology.

I had deliberately chosen to do an intertidal course because I wanted to have a comparison of techniques having completed the Introduction course underwater at Stoney Cove.

Arriving at the Sea Scout base in Holyhead I was met by Ian Cundy (our course instructor) and the other attendees in the classroom, including Eugene, a student from Russia.

We began with coffee, introductions and then a review of the technique (trilateration) that we would be using on site. With the sun shining we headed off to the site in convoy. The wreck site is at Stanley Embankment, a flat intertidal adjacent to the causeway linking the main island of Anglesey and Holy Island. It consists of a sand covered area (upon which the wreck had been beached) leading to some low lying rocks covered in kelp and surrounded by mud flats. The inland edge of the beach is lined by a privately owned densely wooded area.

Before beginning we had a safety briefing and then, in our teams, we began surveying the wreck site, alternating tasks in order to become familiar with the different requirements and tools of the survey techniques. In addition to the part 1 students practicing trilateration data collection two students were surveying the site using a Total Station for their NAS part II.

Once enough data had been gathered, Ian Cundy tutored us on other aspects of the site, including observation of the wood, a brief study of the remains of the rudder section and what evidence could be gleaned from the position of the remaining sections. We returned to the classroom and began loading the data onto the site recorder program. Although this is a repetitive process it was interesting seeing the data come to life and the end result allowed us to register that our field work had been successful, giving us an overview of the wreck.

Our debriefing was given an added bonus when Mel Taylor and Peter May (the Part 2 students) gave us a talk on the Thora, explaining its history and how it came to be resting on a beach in Anglesey. They also (along with their tutor) explained how they had researched the Thora and the different sources they had used. This additional information was an invaluable insight into the complexities and excitement of the Part 2 research. It included archive, museums, family members and even chance encounters such as the owners of the wooded area adjacent to the beach, who had at one point sited the bridge cabin on their land as a shed until it burnt down.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my Introduction and Part 1 courses, not least because of the material but also because of the enthusiasm and professionalism of the instructors who are always willing to spend extra time and add additional information to the course. I am glad that I opted to do an underwater and intertidal course as it gave me an indication of the differing requirements of each survey area. Now onto my Part 2 and yes, yet more early starts and long journeys but it is worthwhile.

The end result of the recordings,